Western Growers WPS Survey

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal agency under the U.S. Congress, is conducting a review on the impact of the designated representative provision of EPA’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS). GAO began this work in response to a congressional mandate in the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018. In this law, GAO is required to 1) conduct a study on the use of the designated representative, including the effect of that use on the availability of pesticide application and hazard information and worker health and safety; and 2) make a publicly available report describing the study, and any recommendations to prevent the misuse of pesticide application and hazard information, if that misuse is identified. GAO is conducting the study which will provide congressional committees with important information on EPA’s oversight and any potential improvements that can be made to future legislation and/or regulation.

As such, GAO is meeting with officials and representatives from several states to understand how states oversee and enforce compliance of the designated representative provision with the WPS. GAO is also speaking to non-governmental and industry groups representing farmers and growers to obtain perspectives about any particular challenges and concerns with the designated representative provision.